The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-07-28
THE OHIO PLATFORM.

The platform adopted by the Ohio stat
democratic con yention is an excellent one
Its planks are sweeping yet specific, ma
tional and state, consistently democratic
Thoroughly honest and CONSERVATORY pro
gressive. Cleveland's administration j
endorsed and his public domain policy
especially commended; Capitalization
and the encroachments of corporate
power" are condemned; wise immigra-
ton policy is enunciated; importing CON
tract labor is denounced; Determinations
of the common carriers are forbid
| den, and a demand is made that
employment of corporate franchises
to foster monopolies and Cypress the Peo-
pie, be prohibited by law" The second
and twelfth planks are especially 10 be
commanded, The twelfth is as follows:
1--WE declare in favor of proper regula-
ton of the liquor traffic, and believe it to
be the duty of all good citizens to aid in
reducing to a minimum the evils result
ing therefrom, and to this end favor the
submission of an amendment to the con-
stitutiou providing for the license of such
traffic." This plank, by implication, de-
nounces the prohibition heresy now ram
pant through the country, and aims to
apply the right remedy of high license of
the liquor traffic. The second plank cuts
out by the roots the ubiquitous tariff sys-
tenn. 1--WE demand such judicious reduc-
ton of the present burdensome tariff as
shall result in producing revenues sufficient
only to meet the expenses of an econom-
ical administration of the government
and the payment of liberal pensions to
union soldiers and sailors, and the pay
ment of the interest and principal of the
public debt; and, If necessary, we favor
sucn a reduction of internal revenue, ex-
cept on liquors, as will prevent the
accumulation of a surplus in the national
treasury, and we denounce any attempt to
abolish the tax on liquor for the purpose
of keeping up the present unjust, une-
quail and onerous tariff system" This
means tariff for revenue only, a
sound, democratic principle The only
exception that can be taken 20 this plank
is that it does not specifically state that
all tariff on necessaries, and even on every
import, shall be taken off before internal
revenue, the tax on tobacco and whisky,
shall be reduced.
Several features of this platform mark
it as an index and premonition of what
the national democratic platform will be.
First, a general and emphatic endorse
ment of Cleveland's administration; next,
a strong tariff plank; then the protection
of our laboring classes by restraint on
general immigration; and, lastly, the"pub
lie domain" policy of Cleveland and
Lamar. This last will WELD a
mighty influence in the next
presidential election. The retaining
of millions of acres of the public land
from the grasp of avaricious railroad and
other corporations has been signal and
grand victory for the administration, and
has made friends for the clean andsearching
work of the party,not only in those sections
where the work has been done and the re-
lief felt, but generally all over the union
where a man is found who admires justice
and the maintenance of the rights not
only of mOneyed monopolies but of the
poorer classes. The Ohio platform is
splendid state paper, and the national
democratic convention would do we'll to
study it carefully before putting out the
platform on which the democrats of the
whole country will stand and successfully
fight for victory.